Paul ADEPOJU

For those that don't know him, David Fasanya is a Nigeria-born American poet who gave an awesome performance at the TEDxChange event put together by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I interviewed him exclusively for HumanIPO.com.

You have a Nigerian name but an American accent. So, tell me, do you still claim to be Nigerian?

I have a Nigerian passport and American passport

Have you ever been to Nigeria?

Yea I went to boarding school thee for about five years.

Which school specifically?

I attended Lifeforte International High School in Ibadan.

How did you start poetry?

Since I was 11, I used to write rap lyrics. But around 16/17, I found out about an organization called Urban World NYC. Basically they offer free writing workshops. I just really like the idea of writing something and having people pay attention to what I have to say; essentially having peoples’ undivided attention. I liked the idea, it intrigued me.

When did you go professional, and when did you start reciting your poems at events?

I wouldn’t say there is a particular point; I wouldn’t even say that I’m a professional now because I’m still trying to develop and expand more. I don’t think there is any particular point. Since I’ve found out about it, I’ve always been focused.

I’ve been blessed to have opportunities such as the recent one at TEDxChange. I wouldn’t say I’m professional just yet.

What inspires your poems?

I would say according to what is going on in my life. But at this point, I think it’s just about getting the dialogue that should be happening when people are engaging in an awkward silence. A lot of change has in convenient moments. If we can have the courage to say what’s on our mind in those moments without considering how someone is going to react, we can get a lot of truth out of that.

For the TEDxChange event, I was given a particular theme. They asked me to write on “Disrupting the pattern for positive change.” I ended up writing that piece on using social media to bring to the public conscience the conditions of various people around the world – people who don’t have those tools to let us know what is going on in their lives.

In terms of the types of messages emanating from nations, what do you think is still lacking because we often have serious issues that go unnoticed while comparatively ephemeral incidences such as the Oga at the top gaffe attract massive attention from within and outside the country. What do you think is responsible for this, and how can we re-route social media tools to beam the searchlight on the issues that truly and really matter?

I see it as an individual responsibility to develop interest in what we ought to have interest in. it is also important to be open to everything. As individual users of Facebook and Twitter, we have a stake in social media. I think it’s our responsibility to make the people around us aware. In other words, we need to start educating ourselves on what is going on.

Also, social networking isn’t entirely digital in the real sense; it is people talking to one another. So I think we should also not be afraid to open up to people in our community. If you don’t talk to strangers, if you don’t communicate with other people, the world isn’t going to expand.

The people that may have the resources or influence those things that are going on in our lives or in the life of our native land may not help us if we don’t open up to them. If you stay in the same circle, you’re not going to bring anything new into the mix. I think it is important to network, not just in the sense of social media, but as people talking to one another.

As an African American who once lived in Africa, do you think the continent is being accurately portrayed in the media?

I think it’s just a portion, a small aspect of what is happening in Africa. I think it’s not the whole picture. When I was in Nigeria, I was privileged to be in the well off area so I didn’t really experience the country as a whole. You portray something according to your motive. I’m not sure exactly why these images of Africa we see in the western world are so perpetually portrayed in a very primitive like. But I’ve experienced something very different even though the things they portray are true, they don’t portray the whole story.

What message do you like to pass across in your poems?

Just being honest, that’s just the bottom-line. Openness is a sort of improvement and it’s not about what’s wrong or what’s right, it’s about what’s real. My main theme is to be honest first and foremost, and then to think about how you can improve yourself afterwards, and then move on from there.

Who are the people that inspire you?

Most of the people that inspire me are not poets, most are in other fields. It’s a large number of people. I feel inspired by people that I see and talk to on a regular basis. I’m inspired by people around me. I also appreciate people from around the world but I feel more inspired by people that are tangible to me.

How are you using social media to promote yourself and showcase your poems?

I never exclude myself when I write a poem or do a piece of work. I’m also talking to myself that I’ve not used social media enough like I should have.

Tell me briefly how you came up with TEDxChange poem (video inserted)

I had to write it a week before the event. Basically, it was something I felt that I was speaking to myself also. I thought about the things I see daily on Facebook and I think it exemplifies human nature – we want people to be aware of our hardships and achievements, and just basically living.

I just wanted people and myself also, to be conscious of people that are also living with hardships and triumphs that we don’t know about. Social media isn’t readily available in their environment talk less of essential things like water, food or resources they need daily. So I just wanted to paint the picture where we can connect human desires to be noticed by people that are not noticing but have the power to make more people notice the plight of others.

You don’t post much on your Facebook page. You also have a not fully updated LinkedIn profile page, which makes me wonder what your favorite social media tool is?

Facebook is the only functioning social media tool. I don’t have a twitter account or a blog. But I recently put up the LinkedIn profile. Right now I’m trying to be more active in my community and not be a robot who stays online everyday – even though it’s a good thing.

Who contacted who for the TEDxChange event?

I was told that they came across some of my footage online and they contacted the organization that I’ve been with for the past few years. Basically they sent me an email asking if I would like to be at the TEDxChange event. I was shocked.

What other major platforms have you been on apart from the TEDxChange?

I’ve been opportune to perform at the Apollo, on Broadway and other places. I never want to take for granted the people and places I’ve been opportune to perform in front of, especially people of young age. I always try to stay humble.

In the second part of the interview, I put David on the spot for a freestyle after he claimed he could rap too.